农村基础设施项目的绩效损失何以发生?——制度激励视角的案例研究

Unraveling Performance Deficiencies in Rural Infrastructure Projects:An Institutional Incentive Perspective

文章从制度激励的视角出发,解释农村基础设施项目绩效损失的影响因素与机理。文章认为,在项目制与科层制的双重激励下,省级拥有目标建构权、县级追求政绩覆盖、乡镇产生资源依赖,三者综合作用会导致项目发展目标偏离;县级注意力转移、乡镇悬浮型特征和企业非市场行为易引发项目进度目标差距;项目绩效评价指标偏离发展目标、外部监测评估机构独立性不强、行政系统内部的连带责任使项目监测验收机制失效,消解了其对项目绩效的纠偏功能。研究结论表明,制度激励导致主体间组成“趋荣避损”的非意愿联盟,是项目绩效损失的系统内部原因;制度激励未能吸纳村民参与,导致村民话语权缺失及基层治理脱嵌是引发项目绩效损失的外部因素。

This paper explores the precursors and outcomes of performance deficits in rural infrastructure projects through the lens of institutional incentives,utilizing the “subject-link” analytical framework.The research identifies that the confluence of project and bureaucratic system incentives results in goal misalignment at the provincial level,political performance targeting at the county level,and resource dependency at the township level.This tripartite dynamic precipitates deviations from the project's intended objectives.Factors such as shifts in county-level focus,township operational suspensions,and non-market enterprise activities contribute to discrepancies in project progression.Furthermore,the misalignment of project performance evaluation metrics with developmental objectives,the lack of independence in external monitoring and evaluation bodies,and the collective responsibility within the management system culminate in the ineffectiveness of the project monitoring and acceptance mechanisms,thereby nullifying their corrective potential for project performance.The paper posits that the core theoretical implication is the emergence of reluctant alliances among stakeholders driven by negative incentives to “seek gains and avoid losses,” which constitute the intrinsic cause of performance loss in projects.Additionally,the failure of positive incentives to engage villagers leads to their diminished influence and a disconnect in grassroots governance,representing a profound crisis in project performance.